Canterlot Castle, 10:45 pm, September 28th
It had been a relatively quiet night through the stunning city of Canterlot; the stars were shining in the sky, the moon was perched at its apex, and the cool wistful breeze whistled throughout the vast city. Ponies at this time were going to bed, resting up for another busy day ahead of them. Right now, couples were sitting next to their fireplaces, warming up amidst the cold autumn and chilly nights. It was a night like any other…However, Canterlot Castle remained awake. Within the throne room of the majestic palace, a meeting was about to take place. Perched upon their respective thrones were Princesses Celestia and Luna. They awaited the arrival of the Captain of the Royal Guard and his predecessor. The entire castle had been under tight surveillance since the kidnapping of the Princesses’ nephew, Prince Blueblood; but to Her Majesty’s credit, Celestia seemed surprisingly more relaxed than Luna took her for. The Princess of the Night envied her sister’s state of mind. Time was running thin and Luna couldn’t stifle the tapping of her hoof against the floor.
Princess Celestia could sense her nervousness but kept her eyes on the doors. “Be patient, little sister. The captain and the colonel will be here soon.”
“But it’s been over an hour!” she pointed out, “It can’t possibly take that long to dispatch guards around the city.”
“Shining Armor doesn’t want to take any chances,” Celestia returned quickly, turning her head to look at Luna, “he needs to map out the most needed places to guard; like Canterlot’s banks, government service buildings, and the palace.”
Just then, the two alicorns looked up to find the throne room doors creaking open. Two guards walked in side-by-side to hold the doors for two other ponies that entered just as formally. When they crossed the threshold, the preceding guards took their exit and shut the heavy doors again; a loud thud echoing throughout the near-empty room. The two ponies were well known to their fields: The first one was the distinguished Shining Armor, uniformed in his suit of purple and gold armor, and the blue unicorn stallion behind him was far older, sporting a short white beard below a dark mustache, and dressed in a black beret and suit garnished with war medals and ribbons. After both of them bowed before the Princesses, Shining Armor removed his helmet. “We have finished securing Canterlot to our best extent, Your Majesty.”
Princess Celestia smiled down at him. “Well done, Shining Armor. This meeting will not take long. I simply want to touch base on the situation, and then we’ll continue in the morning…Early morning,” then she turned her focus to the other stallion, “Also, I am pleased to have you aboard on this as well, Colonel Quartermane.”
The Royal Guard veteran returned her praise with appealing side-smirk, revealing a heavy Highlander accent. “The pleasure’s all mine, Your Majesty. I was honored to offer my services for the Princesses and country. However, I am a bit baffled why you summoned me.”
“That question will be answered soon,” she chuckled.
“Sister, can we begin the meeting?” Luna asked, “Captain Armor and Colonel Quartermane are here, so let’s not waste any more time…”
Celestia nodded, “Very well.”
Luna then stepped away from her throne, walking next to her sister’s throne and using her magic to levitate an envelope that lay on the hoof rest. The Princess of the Night climbed down the few steps to show it to the two stallions. “Shining Armor, I assume you have informed the Colonel of the predicament?” She asked in a stern tone.
“I have, Princess Luna.”
The Princess took the letter within the envelope and unfolded it. She scanned over it thoroughly and sighed. “I haven’t been back long enough to remember this group, but I’ve read of them…Let me read the letter over.” Princess Luna cleared her throat then began pace the room:
“My dearest Princess Celestia, I have waited a long time to finally address you. It has been roughly a week since the tragic kidnapping of the Prince of Nobles. I am aware that the Royal Guard has worked tirelessly to locate him. Let me assure you, however, that he is indeed fine and well, under the imprisonment of my syndicate and I. What syndicate, you may ask? Well, it has been quite a while since Baltimare, but I doubt you will have difficulty recalling the Hierarchy of the United Ranked Revolutionaries In Chaos, Atrocity, Nationalism, and Extortion. It has been many decades since H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. was last active. I am the stallion that High Roller failed to find before his death. Yes, there was a periodical flare from time to time but the Hierarchy has remained largely dormant. Well, the hibernation has ended. WE HAVE RETURNED. It’s funny how you never suspected us to be behind this in the first place, seeing how no other group of masterminds could conjure such an ingenious scheme. However, let me assure you this is only the beginning. To verify this is a legitimate and credible claim, I have enclosed two very convincing items: one that will show you the validity of my current claim, and one that is but a taste of the Chaos yet to come…Now, if you wish to have the Prince returned to you in one-piece, we demand a hefty lump-sum of 500 million bits by eight o‘clock in the coming morning. After that, we will hoof over Prince Blueblood within seven days after receiving the cleared payment. Do not get any clever ideas; nopony but I, shall know the hour or day the Prince will be returned. I make good on my promises, so please do not hesitate on my order. Like I said, this is only the beginning of many confrontations you and I shall have. I have enchanted this letter with a spell that will return this letter to me when it is set ablaze. Until next time, Princess Celestia, farewell.
With love,
No. 1”
Princess Luna stopped in her tracks as she finished the last words of the letter, and then levitated the two enclosed items from the envelope. “A no doubt boastful, yet dangerous threat. This ‘No. 1’, as he calls himself, has enclosed a photo of my nephew looking rather depressed and ragged within a prison cell. And telling by his cutie-mark, we can certainly conclude it is him. However, that is not the only thing that concerns us at the moment,” then the Princess called upon her older sister, “my sister, I will let you take it from here.”
Princess Celestia nodded then took a hold of the items in her own magical bond, holding the other unexplained item in front of the two stallions. It appeared to be some sort of microscopic slide with a small petrified green specimen contained inside the glass. “You’re Majesty, what is this?” asked Shining Armor.
“That’s a parasprite spore,” Quartermane answered for him, nodding at the familiar creature, “I haven’t set eyes on one of them since I was in charge of the Guard.”
“Correct,” Celestia pointed out. She levitated it towards her to examine it further, scanning over it with concern, “A few years ago, a swarm of these creatures was let loose from the Everfree Forest, hitting Fillydelphia hard. It was one of the worst agricultural disasters Equestria had witnessed in decades.”
Shining Armor seemed very puzzled over the strange insects, but the Colonel from was following the story very easily. “I read a report on them a while back when I was visiting my homeland in Glascolt. Scientists confirmed that they have one of the most acidic digestive systems known to ponykind; not to mention their rate of reproducing which is bizarre to say the least. They’re asexual beings, and strangely enough, the more they seem to consume, the faster their rate of reproduction accelerates. Within minutes, one parasprite could multiply into hundreds given enough crops to devour. Apparently their bodies produce other spores when food is digested, mixing with chemicals in their body and allowing the spores to advance in growth. This causes them to regurgitate quite often, resulting in the spawn of another parasprite very rapidly, then the cycle loops again. Not many of these sorts of infestations have been able to occur thanks to their place on the food chain and some vaccines some cities use in their crops. But in albeit rare cases…Like Fillydelphia, a scattered swarm is possible when they have broken beyond the boundaries of their habitat. Princess Celestia, did that slide arrive with that letter?”
Regretfully, the Princess nodded. “I’m afraid so. I don’t know what it means to send us this, but we must stay vigilant nonetheless. That is where you come in, Colonel Quartermane. I understand you know quite a lot about H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E.. In fact I believe your father was the commander in-charge of the raid that lead to the Hierarchy’s defeat the first time.”
“That is correct,” the Colonel answered proudly, “I’ve read dozens of articles and studied of their files that were recovered from the raid. I guess you could say that I have become an expert on crime syndicate such as these. Albeit it none of the others come close to being as sinister as this. H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. is the slime of society; a league of extraordinary criminals, if you will. I assure you, Princess Celestia, I shall use every bit of knowledge I have about this organization to help defeat once again…My father would be proud.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Colonel. Welcome back to the Guard,” she smiled. Then everypony fell silent for a moment while they waited on the Princess of the daylight to speak again. She was contemplating the situation, closing her eyes. Not only was ransom on her mind, but now there was another emergency racing through her mind: The parasprites. She witnessed the aftermath of the infestation, recalling the memories of the tattered state of the eastern fields of Equestria were left in, and the amount of magic it took out of her simply to collect them all and blast them into oblivion; tens of thousands of the small, yet destructive insects nearly shrouding the endangered city in darkness. Then Celestia thought ahead of what a bigger swarm of them could accomplish, foreseeing the future of her kingdom if the fiends were released again. When she opened her eyes again, she addressed the Captain of the Royal Guard: “Shining Armor, didn’t you tell me earlier you had some news to deliver as well?”
The white Unicorn nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. A document was lying on my desk this morning. It seems our suspicions about the third-party weather company, Spectrum Inc., were wrong. It was Daring Do’s report; apparently, she found nothing out of the ordinary. I was about to have one of the scouts locate her for a debriefing, but she left a postscript saying she had left on another expedition shortly after.”
“There was no indication on where she was going?” Celestia asked with a confused tone and cocked brow.
“But here’s the really suspicious part,” the Captain continued, “I made contact with the border patrols and the Equestrian Aviation Bureau, and none of them have reported Daring Do leaving the kingdom by road, boat, train, or even by airship. She must still be in Equestria. I find it unlikely to think she’d sneak out of the kingdom undetected. Besides, the University of Canterlot and the museum she donates all her artifacts to have heard nothing on an expedition, and they’ve told me she always informs them when she’s leaving on something like that. Something is up.”
“You don’t think H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. might have captured her, do you?” The Colonel asked.
Shining Armor shrugged. “It’s possible, but I can’t know for sure. What do you think, Princess Luna?”
They looked up at the stern Princess who had returned to her throne, and found her giving Celestia somewhat of a scolding gaze. Princess Luna began to shake her head. “This is what comes of hiring inexperienced ponies, Princess Celestia. This Daring Do is nothing more than an archaeologist and university professor. What does she know about Royal Guard business?”
Her younger sister raised a good argument, but the Sun Princess was quick to defend herself. “Luna, I recommended Daring Do be hired because H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. wouldn’t expect a university professor of foul play. From what I’ve read about her, her reputation as a relic hunter is not just simply archaeology; she has been known to come out a few fights in the heat of it. She knows how to take care of herself and has a connection with one of our leading suspects, Giovanni D’Angelo.”
“And you seem to forget that she also had a connection with Mr. White Collar, the former Dean of U.o.C. who was killed during the kidnapping of Prince Blueblood,” Luna quickly retorted, “Sister, hasn’t it occurred to you that Daring Do may be acting out on emotion rather than rationality? Revenge of this caliber can only lead to more tragedy.”
Princess Celestia shook her head. “I’m sure Daring Do is hurt over White Collar’s passing, but she knows her priorities. Trust me, little sister, I would not have chosen her if I had a reasonable doubt.”
Luna was about to say something again but Colonel Quartermane put his hooves up to draw their attention. “Excuse me, Princesses! If I could interrupt here, I believe we should stick to the point rather than stray off into a blame game here.”
“Colonel Quartermane’s right,” Shining Armor agreed, “what are we going to do about the ransom?”
The two sisters shared a brief glance at each other before Princess Celestia replied with a deep sigh. “Princess Luna and I have yet to make our decision on that. As worried as I am about my nephew, I’m afraid H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E.’s resurrection is far more concerning. But be that as it may, I will still forward a counter-offer to their leader to buy us some more time.”
“In the meantime, what should we do?” Shining Armor asked eagerly, standing at attention.
“I’d like for you to reacquaint the Colonel with the duties of being on the Royal Guard,” Celestia ordered, “In the morning, the four of us will meet again.”
Both Shining Armor and Colonel Quartermane stood and saluted. “Yes, Your Highness!”
After that, they turned around and trotted down the long carpet of the throne room until eventually left out through the tall doors, leaving a puzzled Princess Luna to ask one question: “So, how do you know their leader will allow for more time?”
Before she answered, Princess Celestia stood up from her throne and walked to the window. She stared deeply into the night sky, pondering over the events of the past week. A week ago it was nothing more than a kidnapping. Now, she was confronted with a newer threat, a deadlier threat. Finally she turned to face Luna. “I don’t know…But there isn’t another option at the moment. I will not allow them to scare us into their extortion plot so easily; that will only make thing worse. Intimidating Canterlot was what the predecessor, High Roller set out to do before he passed away, and I have a feeling that’s what the new No. 1 is trying to accomplish now. Take the parasprites for example; if we let them get the better of us, who knows what they’ll be motivated to plan with them.” With that being said, Princess Celestia levitated the letter in front of her. There was a quill and inkwell sitting on a table next to the thrones. With another glow of magic, she grabbed a hold of the quill and turned the parchment over to write on the back, “I have my doubts this will work, but it will let No. 1 know we are willing to negotiate if he allows more time.”
“And if he declines?” Luna asked in a stern tone.
Princess Celestia paused her writing and thought about that scenario. Then she took a deep breath and finished the letter. After she signed it, the Princess tossed the letter into the air and flashed a bolt of lightning from her horn, striking the letter and engulfing in a flame as it slowly disintegrated from top to bottom while tiny gold sparks fell to the floor, indicating that the spell was working. When the last of the parchment dwindled away, Princess Celestia turned to her sister. “Then we must decide between the futures of Equestria, and the Prince of Nobles.”
Spectrum Incorporated: Cloudsdale Headquarters, 2:05 am, September 29th
Cloudsdale, the bustling city of Equestria’s weather production. Despite the late hour, there were still many pegasus ponies roaming the clouds, likely going to or from work. Nonetheless, it was an ideal place to live for a pegasus: lots of ponies to meet, many sights to see like the infamous Cloudisium, and not to mention its booming economy. Almost every family had a successful breadwinner. Some ponies could call it a utopia, while others could call it a little slice of Tartarus. Work was still work and not everypony enjoyed it. However, whether a pony was there for the city life or well-paid work, satisfaction was a guarantee.
However, there was brewing trouble in this paradise. On the far-side of the floating was its industrial metropolis, an accumulation of clouds built into a busy mess of factories, with the iconic Weather Factory being the granddaddy of them all. But it was inside the walls of Spectrum Incorporated where tension was building.
Within his office, the sinister Union Jack was going out of his mind, too anxious to properly entertain his secretary, Dewpoint. The two of them sat across from each other; Union at his desk chair and Dewpoint sitting opposite of him with two wine glasses and a tall green bottle placed on the desktop. The secretary was trying to get his attention by clearing her throat but the red Unicorn found himself concentrating on his window. Finally, Dewpoint knocked on the wood of the desk, catching No. 4’s attention at last. “Union, what’s going on? You haven’t been the same since you visited No.1. You keep drifting out of conversation and stare out into the sky.”
Union Jack briefly glanced once more out the window then sighed as he used his magic to pour himself more of the wine. “I apologize, my dear. It seems the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do are having trouble accepting death.” The ravishing stallion stood up from his seat and walked about his office, levitating his glass of wine periodically to sip, “They somehow managed to escape from No. 1’s clutches and were on their way here. The thing is, No. 9 dispatched Alpha Team nearly an hour ago and we have yet to hear word on an update. I’d like to assume our enemies were taken care of but these bloody yanks are unpredictable…I’m impressed, yet utterly annoyed.”
A look of worry came over the secretary. “But we’re almost there! Surely just two mares can’t cause that much trouble for us. This facility is packed with armed guards, not to mention with our head of Atrocity, No. 9, is here overseeing things.”
The regal stallion thought on her words, sipping his drink as he nodded. “Stratus had performed some excellent work in training the guards. However, Miss Dewpoint, my anxiousness is not about whether we can defeat them, it is about what will happen to me if we can’t…”
“Then what we going to do?” Dewpoint asked, standing up.
Union looked down and noticed he had already depleted the contents of the wine glass. He trotted back over to his desk and sat down, putting the still chilling glass to his head to think. “Well…There’s nothing we can do, not until word is back about Alpha Team.”
“Well, in the meantime, is there anything I can do?”
“Yes, there is,” Jack answered, “No. 9 should be doing quality control down on the factory floor. Go down there and let him know I’d like to see him in my office.”
“Of course, Mr. Jack. Right away!” she complied, straightening her hair and blouse before leaving the office.
Meanwhile, just outside the Spectrum compound, Daring Do was waiting down the street of the entrance, hiding behind the corner of another building. The sandstone Pegasus was somewhat fatigued from the previous fight, feeling a few of her muscles ache as she moved them, and her wings were a couple of them. The long journey from the East and battle on top of it had exhausted her wings to no end. She was relieved to finally be resting them, but that solace was not going to last long. Daring poked her head out from around the corner and began inspecting a way of entry into the factory. The adventuress knew there were no need for fences in Cloudsdale since anypony there could simply fly over it, but didn’t mean getting into the vicinity was going to be easy. She scanned her eyes around and found a couple guards trotting along the edge of the roof, armed with spear guns and periodically peering down below. The building itself only had a few windows, a few of which were easy enough to climb in…For a pegasus, and Do knew that the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was going to have difficulty in that department. Then her sights fell onto the front doors, with two guards holding it. They too were also armed, dressed in the black and white-striped jackets and black hardhat.
“Hey, did I miss anything?” Somepony whispered.
Daring looked behind and found the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well sneaking up next to her. The adventuress rolled her eyes. “You certainly took long enough,” then the mare noticed something else about her unicorn friend. She flashed a second glance at her, “Wait a minute…How exactly are you walking on clouds?”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well chuckled and tapped on her horn a couple times. “Cloud-walking spell. Something all unicorns should know.”
“Fair enough,” Daring nodded, “but that doesn’t explain why you took so long.”
“I couldn’t land the gyrocopter anywhere near the facility,” Mare-Do-Well argued, “It could raise some unneeded attention. Now did you find a way in?”
Daring looked back ahead and tried to find her answer, but any one of them would seem just as difficult as the next. “There’s a few ways inside, but I don’t know which one is easier…Take a look,” Daring Do allowed her friend to sidle next to her as she pointed between the roof, the windows, and the front door, “It’s not uncommon for all of the factories in this city of have a ventilation system, so we could hypothetically climb in through the roof, but there are some guards up there so we’d have to take them out…Then I see a few windows lined across the building. I’m sure I’d be able to sneak-in easily but it’s too high for an earth-pony or unicorn to climb up to. Unless you wanted me to go in and cause a diversion so you could get in.”
The hooded heroine immediately shook her head to the latter plan. “Too risky. Union Jack is likely very aware of our visit, so he’ll be expecting us, and I bet that why there are so many guards on duty…Is there another way?”
The adventuress nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Here’s our third option: the front door approach. I see only two ponies, but it’s quiet out here. It will only take one outburst to alert the other guards on the roof.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well thought on Daring’s proposals, stroking her chin with her fetlock. “Hmm, well I’ll tell you that the first plan won’t work either. I mean, if I can’t reach a window, what the hay makes you think I can reach the roof?”
“You’re like a super-cool professional vigilante!” the adventuress retorted, “don’t you have nifty gadgets to get you up there?”
The masked mare promptly nodded. “Why yes, I do…Too bad I haven’t seen them since Manehatten before we were unwillingly taken to Stockholder’s airship.”
A sheepish grin came over Daring as she nervously laughed off the stupid question. “Oh…Yeah, that…”
“Daring, the front doors seem to be our only way in. If I had access to my computer I’d be able to scope out the perfect access point, but right now we have to use instinct. Who knows? We could be walking right into another trap set by Union Jack, but we have no other options,” the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well took a deep breath, trying to plan out the best way to approach their infiltration, “…Now my leg has been pinching and my head has been ringing non-stop, but I think I have enough strength in my hooves and magic in my power to make it in there, but I’ll need your help. Are you ready to step into the dragon’s den?”
With no hesitation, Daring Do fastened her hat as a brave smile spread from cheek to cheek. “I’ve encountered thousands of venomous insects and snakes, trekked the darkest dungeons, and fought many villains to get where I am today; I’m sure I can handle the Trottingham Cyclops.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well smiled back and patted the ambitious pegasus on the back. “Glad to hear it. Let’s do this and go home, alright? I’m getting a little airsick…You still got your spear gun?”
“Sure do,” Daring answered, unsheathing the gun from the scabbard.
Mare-Do-Well nodded then looked back at the front door guards. “Excellent. Alright, I’ll leave it to you to shoot one of them down. When you go to fire, alert me so I’ll be able to make my move and compromise the other one.”
The adventuress breathed deeply and gave the mare one more nod. “Got it…” Daring reached into the quiver and extracted one of the deadly-sharp spears. She loaded the blunt end into the barrel until it was firmly in place. Daring pulled up on the action lever and locked the spear to fire, and then she brought the spear gun up and aligned her sights with the guard facing her left. She snuggled her hoof around the trigger and glanced at the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well who was watching her. “I have the one on the left, our left. You take out the right-bound guard. I’ll countdown from three, got it?”
“Yup!” her ally confirmed, wielding her own spear gun, “You sure you can shoot him from over here? It’s a good fifty feet you have to clear.”
“I took some crossbow training while I was on an expedition in Saddle Arabia,” the archaeologist smirked, “I was a natural. I picked up a lot of funny little skills like that in my field. I didn’t think it would actually come in handy until now.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well chuckled, “Fancy that.”
Finally, Daring Do was ready to act and returned her focus on the crosshairs of spear gun’s scope. She fixed her aim and licked her lips, then began the countdown: “Three…Two…One…”
Then the trigger was pulled, and the spear launched from the barrel at a rapid speed. Simultaneously, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well lit a spark from her horn and almost instantly she was gone at the same time the spear left Daring’s barrel. The two guards jerked their heads toward the sound of conjuring magic, but one of them would only see a speeding projectile pierce right into his chest while the other was blinded by a flash of light appearing in front of him. The light was gone as quick as it arrived, and the guard could only utter a single gasp before being smashed in the skull with the butt-end of the masked mare’s spear gun. Meanwhile his partner muttered an agonizing groan before he perished and collapsed on his side; his eyes froze open in shock. When the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well could confirm both guards were down, she saluted to Daring that the job was done.
The archaeologist sighed of relief as she rested the gun on the ground then wiped the sweat from her brow. Thank Celestia I didn’t miss… Soon the mare sheathed the gun and fluttered carefully toward the front door where the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was seen undressing the guard she hit, which caused nothing but confusion for Daring. “What are you doing?”
Mare-Do-Well briefly glanced at the puzzled adventuress as she continued to remove the limp stallion from the uniform, soon tossing his hardhat her. “This one’s about your size…Put this on.”
“You want me to disguise myself as a guard?” Her partner asked as she caught the hat, “I thought you said splitting up would be too risky?”
“That is very true,” the hooded heroine replied, “but if you’re disguised as one of the guards, it should give us an advantage. While I’ll be looking for that snake, Union, you can search out the heart of the operations.”
Finally, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well tossed over the jumpsuit and horseshoes, allowing Daring to start slipping into the uniform, pulling it over her flank and up her torso. The adventuress couldn’t help but notice the opening gap for her tail was bigger than needed and the area around the stomach was somewhat baggy. “Hmm, the jumpsuit feels sort of loose. You sure this will work?”
“You’ll be fine, just don’t lose character,” Mare-Do-Well assured.
When the jumpsuit was on, she hauled the zipper all the way up to insure her olive shirt wasn’t showing. Then she fitted her hooves into the horseshoes and had an epiphany. She quirked an eyebrow then clapped her forehooves together. To her expectance and mild amusement, a sharp blade protruded from the right shoe. A cunning grin came over as she clapped again to retract the blade, and then removed her pith-helmet to slip on the hardhat, which worried the archaeologist. “What about my hat?”
Mare-Do-Well stared at her for a moment before shaking her head and shrugging. “What about your hat?”
“I’m not abandoning my hat.”
With a heavy sigh, the masked mare snatched the pith-helmet from Daring’s clutches and quickly scanned it over. Then she threw the pegasus a glowering look. “What is it about you and this hat?”
Daring was quick to swipe it back, “It was my father’s. After he died, I made a vow to always wear it when I was out in the field, so it’s like Dad’s always by my side. This helmet has history like you wouldn’t believe! Each mark and dent tells a different tale…In all my years of archaeology, not one artifact, scroll, statuette or precious gem has come even close to being more valuable to me than my helmet.”
“I understand, but you can’t just go in there with it,” her ally explained, “it’ll blow your cover in seconds!”
Both Daring and Mare-Do-Well put a hoof to their chins to think, and then the masked mare had a thought. She glanced down at the helmet and took a moment to contemplate. Soon she extended out her hoof to the adventuress. “I got an idea…Lemme see that pith-helmet of yours…”
“…Sure?” The pegasus accepted, but not without hesitance.
She watched as the unicorn lifted up her hat to reveal her glowing horn. She concentrated on Daring’s helmet and shot a small beam of magic down on it. At first the beam seemed to do nothing as it disappeared, but then Daring Do put on a look of horror as she stared at the hat suddenly shrinking…Smaller…And smaller…And even smaller until it was no bigger than the size of her hoof. The adventuress’ first impulse was to slap the mare; however, she was interrupted by her friend.
“Now, don’t be alarmed,” the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well said calmly, “the spell I casted can be reversed by adding a little bit of water to the subject.”
Do’s wide-eyed stare gradually narrowed as the masked mare finished her explanation. Then she took the shrunken helmet back in her hooves and quickly hid it in one of the pockets on the jumpsuit. After she patted the pocket gently, she glanced back at Mare-Do-Well and grinned. “Much better.”
The masked mare went to say something else but then suddenly paused on a strange feeling in her body. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well began to stutter on gibberish. “My hea-fenen-wid oockin. Nos…Whoa…”
Daring didn’t know what was going on. Then the episode of bizarre confusion took a worse turn as Mare-Do-Well’s vision went black. She swayed and bobbed, then fell against the brick structure of the building to catch herself. Daring rushed to her aid. “Mare-Do-Well! What’s going on?”
Daring went to hold her friend the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well waved her hoof at her dismissively, using the other hoof to lean on while she rested her head against the building. “I’ll be alright…Damn it, this headache is getting worse and worse.”
“It’s your magical exhaustion again,” Daring pointed out, “You have to be careful with the amount of magic you’re conjuring at this point. I don’t even know how you managed to stay conscious during that brawl we endured.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well took her head from the wall and nodded in agreement. “You’re right, even basic teleportation and a shrink spell is beginning to cause strain. I’ll have to go easy on my magic…Let’s get going.”
Daring nodded then opened the door just enough to peek inside. She darted her eyes back and forth and was pleased yet somewhat suspicious to find the lobby was empty. Then she opened the door all the way and the two mares stepped inside. The adventuress took notice that the lobby of this Spectrum headquarters was much like Canterlot’s with a bright and spacious setting. The girls caught focus of a map of the building being displayed as a directory with key points and legend to guide visitors. With haste while staying vigilant, Daring and Mare-Do-Well scurried to the map in the centre of the room.
“Well, this should prove to be of some use.” The hooded hero mused.
Daring Do put her hoof to the directory, brushing her hoof over a series of hallways and various rooms until her eyes fell upon a large production room. “It’s likely that the parasprites are being worked on here. This means that it’s probably where most of the security is stationed…” Then she continued to scan the map until her hoof stopped on a suspicious array of rooms simply marked as Personnel Offices, “And if I had to make any other guesses, I’d say Union Jack’s office is located around here.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well nodded along with her theories. “So which path do you want to take?”
“Well, considering I fit the part, I should probably make my way towards the factory floor to make sense of these plans Union has for them,” Do answered.
“I agree, and then I guess that leaves me with rose-boy,” the masked mare returned, fastening her hat, “Alright…It looks like if I take the stairs on the left, over there, it should lead me up to a corridor that has a fork in the road at the end of it. Hmm, looks like they both branch into office areas. I’ll just have to check both if necessary.”
Her ally promptly nodded. “The way to the factory floor doesn’t look far away from here. But I hope we’re not too late.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well glanced over at the staircase. “Then we better get to it.”
As she turned to take her leave, Mare-Do-Well was suddenly stopped by a hoof on her shoulder. She turned back around to find the archaeologist she befriended smiling at her. “Good luck, Mysterious Mare-Do-Well…Before we do this, I just want to say no matter what has happened or will happen, it has been a privilege to work alongside of you this past week.”
“Likewise,” Mare-Do-Well smiled back, “looks like we’ve made quite the pair: a shadowy vigilante and a highly unorthodox archaeologist, who would have thought? H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. is going down!”
Finally the two shared their last acknowledgement with a hoof-bump before going separate ways. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well climbed the staircase in search of Union, and the disguised Daring Do started in the other direction, walking down a hallway in search of the extortion weapon. Neither of them knew what to expect along the way, but both Daring and Mare-Do-Well had to remain aware and keep their eyes peeled. Any fault at this point could jeopardize not only their lives, but their kingdom’s salvation.
Royal Guard Barracks, 2:20 am, September 29th
Late nights at the barracks was no strange occurrence to Captain Shining Armor, but lately it has become nothing but torture to the stressed leader. On top of having to conduct a full-scale investigation into the whereabouts of Prince Blueblood, locate Daring Do, and protect all corners of the city, he now had to add extortion to the mix. His paperwork had nearly doubled in the last week, aggravating the stallion to further headaches. He sat at his desk, rubbing his temples over and over again. He began to wonder what his younger sister would do in his situation. When not faced with a test or deadline, Twilight always had a collective mindset, able to think her way out of anything, with a little magic on the side of course. However, Shining knew no amount of magic was going to fix his problems. The pressure was beginning to get to him, and he wasn’t sure how much more he would be able to take.
Meanwhile, off to the side on a nearby couch, the colonel drifted in and out of his naps, periodically stirring to rub his nose or cough. Shining Armor glanced at him then looked up at a clock; it had been over an hour since Quartermane had fallen asleep. He wanted somepony to talk to, but did not want to directly awaken the older pony. Just when he thought the colonel was about to wake up, another heavy snore would shoot down the captain’s hopes. Suddenly he had an idea and looked around his desk until his eyes fell upon his iron stapler. He quirked his eyebrow then whistled as he reached for a piece of parchment then nonchalantly brushed the office tool off the desk with his fetlock, letting it fall to the ground with a loud thud.
Almost on instant did the colonel jump up in surprise, fluttering his eyes as he tried to adjust to the light. When his vision had fixed itself, he let out a heavy yawn and saw Shining Armor retrieving his stapler off the floor. The two stared at each other for a few moments before the elder stallion bore another side-smirk as he put the pieces together. “My daughters had an act for pulling stunts like that when they were foals. You know, if you wanted to talk, all you had to do was ask.”
Knowing he was easily read, Shining folded his ears back and returned with a sheepish grin. “Heh, guess I wasn’t subtle enough…”
Quartermane laughed. “Oh it’s fine! Sorry about falling asleep on you, old boy. I’ve been retired for five years, and I’m not used to these nightshifts anymore.”
“Well, I’m glad to see you’ve taken your coming out of retirement so well,” Armor replied with a chuckle of his own.
“Retirement is just the beginning of the end of life,” the Highlander explained, “I’m not ready to die just yet when my kingdom needs me. Besides, you young guns could use some wisdom from an older stallion.”
The witty statement received a scoff from Shining Armor. “Well, I’m sorry to say no amount of wisdom is going to find us Daring Do or wiggle out of this ransom.”
Quartermane raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “I beg to differ. I read the briefing; Daring Do was last seen in Manehatten, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, doesn’t seem suspicious that her disappearance occurred just minutes later after Rusty Anchor was assassinated?”
“Well yes, but I don’t think she was involved in the plan,” the Captain argued, “one guard reported seeing the mare bolt off to catch the culprit.”
Colonel Quartermane shook his head. “Could have been a cover-up for them make their escape. I mean, both Do and the assassin were never seen again after that…And by the looks of the records, Daring Do has not left the kingdom despite her writing to the Guard to say that she had so. The story doesn’t make sense. For all we know, she was the one that gave H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. the green light when the Prince was on his way to the University. Let’s face it: Daring Do has sold her soul to the slime of ponykind.”
Shining Armor sighed heavily as he let the colonel’s argument cement in his head. Although his theory made sense, Armor couldn’t comprehend the possibility Daring Do would betray her kingdom. She was so devoted to finding D’Angelo and putting a stop to the Hierarchy. But being the captain of the Royal Guard, he had to push his personal views on a pony aside and think logically. With Rusty Anchor gone and Daring’s whereabouts unknown, the Guard would be unable to learn more about H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E.; the trails was going cold, and fast.
Suddenly there was a knocking at the door, catching the attention of the two stallions. Shining Armor called out. “It’s open!”
The door opened to reveal a brown unicorn guard with a saddlebag. He shut the door behind him and then saluted to his superior. “Captain Armor, Sir, I have something urgent to report.”
“As you were, Soldier,” he waved down, “what is it?”
The guard walked over to Shining Armor’s desk and unbuttoned his saddlebag. Using his magic, he levitated a large brownish envelope from it and laid it in front of Armor. “This arrived at the front gate about ten minutes ago. The anonymous courier didn’t say much except that the document is to be personally delivered to you as soon as possible, Sir. We casted a couple spells to make sure it was not laced with any sort of chemicals. It’s clean.”
Shining Armor threw the Colonel a brief glance and then looked down at the envelope. “There’s no return address,” he noticed, opening the envelope with his magic. The Captain removed the letter from its container and then took the time to read it over.
As Shining Armor read on, the guard and Colonel Quartermane noticed the demeanor of the Captain gradually shift into deep concern. “Oh No…”
Quartermane rose from his seat and went to the Captain’s side in a concerned state. “What is it, old boy?”
Finally, when Shining Armor had finished reading, he took a moment to levitate a cup of coffee from his desk to his lips to sip and then set it back down. After that, he cleared his throat and took the letter in his hooves to read it aloud.
“Dear Captain Armor; we have chosen to reject Princess Celestia’s requisition to extend our deadline in the Prince Blueblood ransom. Understand that this is no petty threat; this is an ultimatum that is to be taken very seriously. Do you take us for fools? 500 million bits is to be transferred to us or we shall be forced to take action. Look at it this way: You pay us our demand and the Prince is returned, whole…Or, you pay us nothing and the Prince is returned, in pieces. The choices are very simple, Captain. Please inform the Princesses as the deadline looms. Also you may be puzzled as to why we have chosen to contact you and not the Princess. Well, as we are no doubt aware that you will inform the Princess at once, we also must inform you of something. We are no fools. It was no trouble to notice the heightened security around Canterlot. Let us assure you that no matter how many soldiers you dispatch, we shall succeed. Our shadows have allowed us to work behind the eyes of your Guard. If you think a few more guards here and there at a bank or street corner will protect you, think again. A spell has been casted upon this letter once again that shall return it to us when it is burned…Remember, we are not a force to be underestimated, I assure you of that!
Yours truly,
No. 1”
The Captain took his eyes up from the paper and looked to the Colonel for answer. But, even Quartermane was at a loss for words. The two stared intently before Shining Armor shifted his focus to the guard awaiting his next order. He glanced down at the letter, taking a deep breath before standing up. “Colonel, I think you and I should break this news to the Princesses at once.”
“Right,” the Colonel nodded.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Sir?” Asked the guard.
Shining Armor thought on it for a moment before recalling what he and the Colonel were discussing before the new situation presented itself. Although he didn’t like the idea of it, it made logical sense. “Yes, there is something...” The Captain paused, trying to collect the words in his head. “I need you to relay a message to the other barracks across the kingdom, through the telegraph.”
“Right away, Sir!” he saluted. “What should I tell them?”
Again, Shining Armor turned to the Colonel in order to collect his words; however, they did not come to him without a heavy heart. “…Tell them I am issuing a nationwide warrant for the arrest of U.o.C. professor, Daring Do. If she is captured, she is to be brought back to Canterlot for questioning at once.”
To be continued